


The Flood

by Claireluvscats



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Almost death, Drowning, F/M, M/M, unhygenic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 13:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claireluvscats/pseuds/Claireluvscats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The mercs call in a complaint about the water not working, so Ms Pauling heads over to the RED base to figure out the issue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Drought

Miss Pauling drove her dusty little car through the desert, wondering why this was a problem for her to solve. She drove with a somewhat annoyed look on her face, and her hands clenched tightly on the steering wheel. It takes a long time to drive all the way out to the base, since it was in the middle of the desert, and her car did not have air conditioning.

The desert was experiencing a drought, and the mercs had received orders to not waste water from the tap. Extra water bottles had been sent out there, and the matter had been dismissed by the administrator. After all, desert states go through droughts all the time. It was nothing she had to worry about.  
However, more complaints started coming in, and she only started listening when there were far too many to keep ignoring. To get this problem off her hands, she sent Miss Pauling out to take care of it.

As Pauling approached the chain-link fence, she saw the laser point of the Sniper's scope pass over her car. The light clicked off, and she glanced up at the rickety old water tower where Sniper set up his nest. She saw no movement at first, then a dirty hand emerged from the wooden slats and gave her a thumbs up.  
She sighed and exited her car to approach the fence, and when she tried to jerk it open, she found there was a padlock secured to the gate. Pauling pursed her lips, and pushed a stray hair back out of her face. Suddenly A loud clattering of metal weapons and boots was heard, and the Soldier came out of the building, followed by Scout and Pyro. Scout made it to the gate first, of course, and leaned against it casually. 

As he got closer a foul smell assaulted her nostrils and she cringed. When Soldier approached the gate, the smell got even worse. The smell was disgusting, a mix of body odor and sweat, and it was easy to tell where it came from just by looking at the two greasy men. Pyro stood at a distance, staring at Miss Pauling through his lenses and making a raspy noise.

"Hey Paulin'. What brings you here on this fine afternoon?" Scout asked, flashing a grin at her.  
Soldier pushed him to the side, wanting a turn to talk.

"Hello Miss Pauling! We haven't showered in a week!" He crowed.  
Scout frowned and shoved him, and five metal canteens fell in the dust below. As Soldier bent to pick them up Scout continued.

"You musta got my letters, right? How'd you like 'em?" He asked, trying to smooth down his sweaty hair. She eyed his grimy clothes and disgusting appearance warily.

"I don't receive letters, Scout. All of the complaints and notices are forwarded directly to the Administrator," Pauling told him. "Will you please open the gate?"

Scout's smile faded as he heard these words and his face went deathly pale. He slowly unlocked the gate and opened it without another word. Miss Pauling got back in her car and drove it inside the gate, Scout locking it behind her. She got out and started to head inside the building when she heard Solider shouting.

"Miss Pauling! Pyro took my canteens!- HEY! Stop it!" He barked. Pyro made loud rasping noises as he sprinted past, carrying about 10 canteens in his arms with Soldier chasing after. Scout still stood in the dust where she left him, staring at nothing.

Miss Pauling sighed again and entered the building. She hated her job.


	2. The Pipes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miss Pauling enters the base to be greeted by some mildly annoyed (and smelly) mercenaries.

Miss Pauling watched as Pyro hurried off, and wondered herself where she should be going. If this meeting was as important as she thought it was, wouldn't everyone be gathered in the Intel room? Judging by her small welcoming committee, most likely the remaining mercs were in the dining hall or in their own rooms.

She headed up the stairs and down some hallways until she reached a small room with a couch and a television. Scout had beaten her there and was watching tv on the floor while Demoman slept on the couch. He looked up when he saw her enter the room.

"Hey Paulin'. Spy and Medic are wait in' for ya in the mess hall. Jus' thought you should know." He grinned sheepishly and ran his fingers through his dirty hair before continuing. "Sorry about earlier, I always get carried away when I talk to a bee-yootiful lady like you." 

Miss Pauling looked at him and smiled a little. It was flattering that he was trying so hard, and even though she felt a pang of second-hand embarrassment, she thought the gesture was sort of cute.

"It's okay, Scout, I was just a little crabby because it's so hot outside." She said, moving towards the door leading the the mess hall.  
He waved goodbye, and when Pauling entered the hall her nose wrinkled as another smell hit her.

Medic sat at the head of the long table, with Heavy standing behind him, leaning foreward slightly to look down at the top of Medic's head. Spy sat next to Medic, and was talking to the two of them in French. It was obvious that the Engineer was there at one point, because his hardhat sat abandoned at one of the empty seats.

Pauling gagged slightly at the smell filling the room. She remembered how Soldier had said that no one had showered in a week, and began to feel bad for the stinky men. The hot desert weather made everything worse, and there was no fresh air to clear out the room. All the windows were opened, but the room was still hot and stuffy. The smell of the three combined (plus the Heavy's massive size) made Pauling feel sick.  
She tried to keep herself together as they looked her way. Spy motioned for her to sit down, and she did. Pauling took the chair farthest away from them, respectfully, and they nodded their understanding. 

"Pardon me, madam, for our unsightly appearance and.. Odor." Spy said, gesturing to himself and the others.

Heavy stood tall and grunted in agreement. He was covered in dust, and sweat glistened on his muscular arms and stained his shirt. He patted Medic's shoulder, who sat up staighter and focused his attention on their guest.

The Medic looked the cleanest of them all, but still quite greasy. He kept picking at his grimy clothes absentmindedly, and folding and unfolding his hands. Being dirty made him feel uncomfortable.

Spy continued, "I'm sure, Miss Pauling, that the situation has already been explained to you." He paused, looking for a reaction.

She flipped a couple papers on her clip board, looking for the letters and notes she might have been given.

"It says here that there have been numerous complaints about the water and plumbing. How serious is issue?" Pauling asked, folding over the papers and looking up at the men again.

"About a week ago, the water suddenly turned brown and ran dry," Spy said, folding his hands politely.

"We have not been able to shower or wash zhe dishes," Medic stated, pulling at his tie awkwardly. "Everyone has been most uncomfortable with zhis predicament, especially me, since I require zhat all of my medical instruments be clean and sterile."

Heavy grunted again, patting the doctor on his shoulder before adding his bit.  
"Have ceasefire, since we get dirty fighting. Is bad for health being covered in someone else's blood. It spreads sickness," He rumbled.

Miss Pauling nodded and clicked her pen, underlining some things on her papers and jotting down a note. 

"Has Engineer taken a look at the pipes yet?" She asked, flipping a page.

"Yes, he has determined where the blockage has occurred, but he needs permission before he can solve the problem," Spy said. "Dell says that the pipes are very complex and he needs affirmation before he can disturb the system by removing a section of pipe."

"That's very thoughtful." Pauling sighed. She still didn't understand why she needed to be out here. "Tell him he has my permission. If you'll excuse me, I'm very busy." She stood up.

"Zhat's not all. You need to turn off zhe water from the reservoir, or else zhe water will drown him vhile he vorks." Medic said, looking annoyed that she was eager to leave so quickly.

She sat down with a sigh and scribbled some more notes. "Anything else?" 

"Oui. The grate in the sewer will need to be replaced, and Engineer would like a pay raise for his efforts..." He looked at a note on the table briefly, "And he says that unless this operation begins soon, the pipes will explode, causing extreme damage to the property and the explosives here."

Miss Pauling sighed again. "I'll make some calls." She said, taking out her phone. Pauling dialed the Administrator directly. The phone was on speaker, and as she and Spy discussed with the administrator, Soldier listened with his ear pressed against the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be using he/him pronouns for Pyro in this fic! Please excuse any issues with spelling and format, I am updating from mobile currently. (Computer troubles...)
> 
> EDIT: Came back to fix some errors.


	3. The Dam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soldier fucks things up.
> 
> EDIT: came back to fix some errors. Hopefully I'll get this fic up and running again!

Soldier backed away from the door grinning. The plans being made on the other side were useless to him. He had his own strategy to solve this, quickly and easily.  
Soldier sprinted outside, canteens forgotten, and came screeching to a halt when he saw Demoman.

Demo had been leaving the rec room, with his signature bottle, and waved to his friend.

"How ya doin'?" He asked the Soldier, who clicked his heels together and saluted.

"Hello Demoman. I am looking for that thing. The tower that holds the water. Where is it?" He asked. Demo grinned.

"If you're looking for that, son, it's over a-ways there," He gestured with his free hand, "But you shoulda known by now that thars nothin in there, ben dried up for a week now."

"Appreciated!" Soldier barked, holding out his hand. Demo shook it firmly, and Soldier took off again.

\-------  
Miss Pauling folded up her notes and clicked her pen. Everyone at the table rose, and Spy held the door open for the lady as she left to talk privately with the Administrator. He raised his eyebrows at the doctor, who returned the glance before turning to his partner.

"Mein Heavy, let us return to the med bay. I need your help carrying the boxes of water bottles outside to the garbage." He said.

"Da. There are many of those blocking the door." He grunted. "Scout want me to carry his out of room. He can wait."

Spy sniffed. "Now I feel very silly. I was going to ask for your help as well, since there are quite a few piled in my room too. I will be assisting Miss Pauling this afternoon, so I do not have time to do it myself."

As Medic and Heavy left him, Heavy let out a low chuckle.

"So many boxes will break his thin legs," He said to his doctor, "Will snap like twigs!"  
Medic let out a snort and covered his mouth, snickering quietly. They turned the corner and left Spy alone.

______

Soldier stared up at the water tower, squinting his eyes. A small red laser light was focused on his forehead. A couple minutes of silence passed as he examined the wooden structure, and Soldier was oblivious to the red dot. He was wondering how long this tower had been here, and why he'd never noticed it before.  
A distant Australian voice shouted down from the tower, but was too far away to understand.

"What?" Soldier asked, squinting harder at the tower.

"I said, whaddaya want?" Sniper repeated, louder this time.

"Oh, hello Sniper. CAN YOU SEE THE DAM FROM THERE?" He screamed. Sniper groaned to himself and pried the small wooden door of his nest open farther so he could look down at the disturbance below. 

"Yes. Why'd you care?" Sniper grumbled. "WHAT?" "I said, YES. Why do YOU care?" He yelled back, irritated. Sniper was grouchy, and had been spending time alone since the water stopped. He felt irritated, his mouth tasted bad and his skin itched. He didn't want people to see him and comment on his foul odor, especially since he smelled like urine. Sniper regretted his choice of jar storage, and his whole nest reeked, making him in an even worse mood.

"OKAY. I AM COMING UP NOW." Soldier shouted up, and started to climb the frail wooden ladder that led to the tower.

"WHAT? NO! If you come up here, I'll shoot ya! Soldier, go away!" Sniper yelled, but the man kept climbing. "Soldier, stop! I said go away!"

There was a grunt and the sound of the ladder's rungs creaking before the trapdoor flung open and Soldier pushed his way inside. He shoved Sniper away as he spat curses.

"Hello Sniper. Excuse me." Soldier said, pushing over a stack of jars and smashing them on the floor. Sniper cursed and covered his mouth and nose.  
Soldier was dragging his rocket launcher to a small window, and perched it on his shoulder as he looked out. Sniper was pulling at his hair and grinding his teeth, angry that even more of a mess was being made and there was no water to clean it up. He fumed and stomped over the where Soldier sat, fists clenched at his sides.

"Is that the dam?" Soldier asked, oblivious to Sniper's anger, and pointed to a distant building. It was hardly noticeable, and very very far away.

"Yes. It is. Now get out." Sniper growled.

"Okay, one sec. Hold on." Soldier stuck his tongue out and looked in the tiny scope on his launcher. He took aim at the distant wall and fired.  
The blast shook the rickety old tower, and Sniper fell backward.

"What the bloody 'ell are you doing?!" Sniper shouted, sitting up. He regained his balance and stood up, pushing Soldier towards the trapdoor. "Get out. Now. 'M not gonna ask ya again." 

"Goodbye then, Sniper!" Soldier said cheerfully, climbing back down the ladder. He walked off whistling and proud of himself. 

______  
Miss Pauling, Spy, and Engineer were in the sewer tunnels checking out the grate when they heard the impact.

"What in sam hill was that?" Engineer asked, scratching his stubbly head. Miss Pauling looked around nervously. A couple seconds later a loud roaring sound was heard, and Spy's face paled.

"Move! MOVE!" He barked, grabbing both Engineer's hand and Pauling's, and leading them out.  
But it was too late. The roaring only got louder, and water gushed through the pipes extremely fast. They couldn't escape fast enough, and the water hit them hard.

_______

The mercs back at the base did not hear the dam breaking, but heard a faint rumbling and saw the sky fill with dust in the distance.  
Heavy put down the boxes he was carrying and motioned for the doctor to do the same. They watched a wave come towards them, crashing over the sand, until the ankle-deep water reached them. The ground greedily drank up the water, and the two men looked at each other quizzically.

Scout burst out of the base, Pyro following at his heels. Pyro crouched in the dirt and started digging, filling the canteens with the damp soil.

"Was that water?" Scout asked the doctor.  
Medic pushed up his glasses and nodded, trying to hide his worried look.

"What happened?" Scout asked again.  
Demo came around from the other side of the yard, followed by Soldier, who was beaming with pride.

"Was 'at water? On me boots, I saw water. Did ya' see it too?" Demo asked. Medic nodded again, the corners of his mouth turned down.

"I did that! I saved the water!" Soldier beamed.

Everyone turned to stare at him, except Pyro, who was still digging and playing in the sand.

"What did you do?" Heavy growled. Medic had his mouth open in awe, and Scout looked nervously at the dust cloud and back.

"I broke the dam." Soldier replied, smile fading.

"Great goin, smart one. Now no ones got water." Scout said, kicking the dirt back into Pyro's hole. Pyro let out a muffled protest and threw a handful of damp sand at him. Heavy grit his teeth and clenched his fists, and Medic closed his mouth. As Heavy advanced on Soldier, Medic grabbed his arm.

"Bitte, Heavy don't. Where are Spy and Engineer? And Pauling?" He asked breathily, face pale. 

Heavy stopped in his tracks, and Scout snapped his head back to the two. Pyro threw another wad of dirt at Scout before climbing out of the hole and looking at Heavy. Demo looked up from his shoes. Soldier stopped smiling.

"In pipes." Heavy said.  
Pyro started running first, and was long gone when the others realized what that meant. They dashed to the sewer opening, where a huge puddle was forming. They looked everywhere, but there was no sign of Engineer, Spy, Miss Pauling, or Pyro anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while, we are having finals prep at school and I've been crying and sleeping a lot

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first TF2 fic, actually. The idea came to me in a dream, and when I woke up it seemed like a good idea to actually make it into a fic! I'm sorry about my writing skills, I don't write that often and I need practice. Feedback appreciated!


End file.
